Methods and apparatuses for optimized multi-ap coordination

Abstract

In a 802.11be multi-AP collaboration, collaborated devices obtaining shared resources announced by a collaborator AP re-announce the shared resource for the stations out of the transmission range of the collaborator AP. Given the short time available, the re-announcing frame binary repeats most of the initial announcement by the collaborator AP, in particular substantially the whole MAC payload thereof. In order to facilitate the identification of the re-announcing, the latter comprises an empty TA field or no TA field in its header. This additionally allows any AP to act as the coordinator AP.

1 . A communication device that operates as an access point (AP) in a wireless network, the communication device comprising:
 at least one memory that stores a set of instructions; and   at least one processor that executes the instructions, the instructions, when executed, causing the communication device to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, from another AP, a first communication frame indicating that said another AP shares a time resource in a transmission opportunity (TXOP) with the communication device; 
 determining, in response to the reception of the first communication frame, whether or not to switch the primary channel of the communication device; 
 transmitting, in a case where the communication device determines that the primary channel of the communication device is to be switched, a second communication frame for triggering a non-AP station to switch the primary channel; and 
 transmitting to the non-AP station, after the transmission of the second communication frame, a third communication frame for triggering data transmission from the non-AP station in accordance with an allocation of the time resource shared from said another AP to the communication device. 
   
     
     
         2 . The communication device according to  claim 1 , wherein the communication device transmits a trigger frame as the third communication frame to the non-AP station of a basic service set managed by the communication device. 
     
     
         3 . The communication device according to  claim 1 , wherein the communication device executes multi-user downlink transmission toward the non-AP station of a basic service set managed by the communication device, by using the time resource allocated by said another AP. 
     
     
         4 . The communication device according to  claim 1 , wherein the communication device performs time division multiple access (TDMA) communication with the non-AP station of a basic service set managed by the communication device, by using the time resource allocated from the other AP. 
     
     
         5 . The communication device according to  claim 1 , wherein the first trigger frame includes a first portion and a second portion indicating time resource sharing during the TXOP and the second trigger frame includes information of the second portion of the first trigger frame. 
     
     
         6 . The communication device according to  claim 5 , wherein the second portion is a MAC payload of the first trigger frame. 
     
     
         7 . The communication device according to  claim 1 , wherein the communication device determines to switch the primary channel of the communication device in a case where a frequency resource allocated to the communication device by said another AP does not include the primary channel of the communication device. 
     
     
         8 . A communication method performed by a communication device that operates as an access point (AP) in a wireless network, the communication method comprising:
 receiving, from another AP, a first communication frame indicating that said another AP shares a time resource in a transmission opportunity (TXOP) with the communication device;   determining, in response to the reception of the first communication frame, whether or not to switch the primary channel of the communication device;   transmitting, in a case where the communication device determines that the primary channel of the communication device is to be switched, a second communication frame for triggering a non-AP station to switch the primary channel; and   transmitting to the non-AP station, after the transmission of the second communication frame, a third communication frame for triggering data transmission from the non-AP station in accordance with an allocation of the time resource shared from said another AP to the communication device.   
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a program that causes, when the program is executed, a communication device that operates as an access point (AP) in a wireless network to perform:
 receiving, from another AP, a first communication frame indicating that said another AP shares a time resource in a transmission opportunity (TXOP) with the communication device;   determining, in response to the reception of the first communication frame, whether or not to switch the primary channel of the communication device;   transmitting, in a case where the communication device determines that the primary channel of the communication device is to be switched, a second communication frame for triggering a non-AP station to switch the primary channel; and   transmitting to the non-AP station, after the transmission of the second communication frame, a third communication frame for triggering data transmission from the non-AP station in accordance with an allocation of the time resource shared from said another AP to the communication device.